DPA/Copenhagen

Australia’s koala population and the white-mantle arctic fox are among the animal species likely to be hardest hit by climate change, according to a study published yesterday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“Humans are not the only ones whose fate is at stake here in Copenhagen - some of our favourite species are also taking the fall for our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions,” said Wendy Foden, one of the report’s authors.

“This report should act as a wake-up call to governments to make real commitments to cut CO2 emissions if we are to avoid a drastically changed natural world,” Foden said.

The IUCN describes itself as the world’s “oldest and largest global environmental network”, with its membership made up of more than 1,000 government and non-governmental organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.

Its latest Species and Climate Change study focused on 10 species and was released on the sidelines of the conference.

It found that Australia’s iconic koala faces malnutrition and ultimate starvation as the nutritional quality of its staple diet - eucalyptus leaves - declines as CO2 levels increase.

The leatherback turtle, another at risk species, is being affected by rising sea levels and increased storm activity due to climate change, which destroys its nesting habitats.

Moreover, “temperature increases may lead to a reduction in the proportion of males relative to females”, the study found.

The arctic fox is set to suffer from the disappearance of the Artic tundra owing to warming temperatures. Higher temperatures not only allow new plant species to flourish, they also transform the habitat from tundra to forest. This means that the red fox, which preys on the arctic fox and competes with it for food, is able to move further north, the study said.

Other polar species being affected by loss of ice due to global warming include the ringed seal and the emperor penguin.

“Several of the species highlighted in the report are already listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, due to other threats such as habitat destruction or over-harvesting,” said the IUCN’s Jean-Christophe Vie.